Diet Coke is the best thing since sliced bread—well, for those of us who eat carbs, anyway! The calorie-free beverage just turned 25, making it older than Jezebel's own Jennifer Gerson. (Ugh.) And people are starting to realize just how important Diet Coke has been to our culture over the past quarter century. Not only is it credited with sparking an entire diet industry (which we're not so jazzed about, admittedly), it also has made water taste really good.

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Apparently when Diet Coke first debuted, it was a big friggin' deal and involved the Rockettes dancing around in front Radio City Music Hall in front of a giant Coke can as though it were a golden calf or something. But it sort of is. As we sit next to our very own can of Diet Coke right now, looking at the straw bobbing up and down from the beautiful carbonation, we're really happy that it exists in our lives, and have nothing but love in the hearts that it is most likely polluting with toxins. Happy Birthday Diet Coke!